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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. wax — to grow
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. fall — to drop
  5. row — a line
  6. row — to paddle
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. cold — an illness
  13. toast — bread
  14. firm — decided
  15. fall — the season
  16. rule — a law
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. firm — a company
  19. rule — government
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. cold — not warm
  24. fall — to drop

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com